People should see my hard work first and then form an opinion: Dev

Dev spoke to Calcutta Times recently during a special shoot. From talking about his recent hits to what he has planned for the future, Dev gets candid about the kind of person he is and more. Excerpts:
You saw two super hits one after the other, Tonic and Projapoti. Do you believe that every actor has a certain phase in their life where they soar high?
I don’t believe that every actor has only a certain phase in their life where they achieve success.I have seen a lot of successes in my career beginning with my initial days with films like I Love You, Challenge and more. What I think is much more exciting is the fact that the audience has given me the same kind of love consistently for 17 years. To me the love I keep getting time and again from the audience is much more valuable than just the success of any film.
When you declared that you would portray Byomkesh, there were two kinds of reactions — one where they were excited to see you portray the character, and the other were people who trolled you. What are your thoughts on this?
People will always troll you no matter what. When I joined the field of politics, people told me, “Don’t do it, your career will finish.” People always judge you even before you perform. Even when I announced Baghajatin, people were sceptical and I was trolled. Same goes for me playing Byomkesh. It’s unfair to pass a judgement before seeing the final product. People should see my hard work first and then form an opinion. We might be able to impress a section of the audience while the others might have criticisms. I will welcome that.
Making this Byomkesh film was not just about me. It is a strong team effort. From costumes to sets to the director and producer and crew, we all took the challenge that we have to do it and do it well.
It’s important to be positive throughout and ignore the negative vibe. If your team and you stay positive, nothing external can touch you.
The day your film releases, Srijit’s web series about Byomkesh is also releasing. Are you feeling competitive, sacred etc?
Not at all. Producer of the website, Srijit (Mukherji) and I recently spoke to see what we can do so that it doesn’t clash. We came to the conclusion that the three of us are the stakeholders of the industry so it’s important to stand by each other. They have shifted the dates and will be releasing post my film.
One call made all the difference. There is no need for egos to clash. I’ve matured with age and if I was younger, maybe I would try to fight this. But it’s easier to discuss and sort things out.
How did Dev become so mature?
I think it’s experiencing the ups and downs of life. It’s important to sort out your priorities and decide how you want to live your life. You have to stay positive no matter what.
Is it by choice that you stay away from film parties. Is it because you don’t want to be a part of any gossip?
Work keeps me so busy that I don’t get the time. However, if someone close to me invites me, I will surely be there. No matter how good you’re doing, people will always gossip and talk about you. I’ve learnt with experience that I’d much rather work and be with my loved ones when I can.
How egoistic is Dev as a person?
I’m not an egoistic person but I am quite stubborn by nature. I don’t harbour an ego because I want to learn from everything but self-respect matters to me. If someone tells me ‘you can’t do it’, I will divert all my energy to do it and show them that I can.